COUNTRY MUSIC CLASSICS
Doug Davis
Owner/Publisher/Manager/Editor/
Writer/Gopher/Chief Cook & Bottle Washer
Thursday June 16th, 2016
Email: djdclassics@gmail.com
STORY BEHIND THE SONG
Several songs that might have been hits have been discarded during the actual
recording sessions because the artist changed their mine about the tunes after
starting to record them.
Such was almost the case for Elvis Presley's 1960 hit "Are You Lonesome
Tonight?"
Elvis reportedly recorded the song with the lights out in the studio – at his
request!
According to recording engineer Bill Porter – there was only an acoustic guitar,
a bass, the Jordanaires, and Elvis on that session and the Jordanaires made a
mistake on the end – by going to the wrong chord. After barely getting started
on the second take – Elvis stopped the session and told producer Steve Sholes to
throw the song out because he couldn't do it justice. Sholes thought the song
was a hit and talked Elvis into re-recording just the ending of the song – then
told Porter to splice the tape and add the re-recorded ending to the rest of the
song.
Porter spliced the tape and Presley's RCA Victor single "Are You Lonesome
Tonight" came on the country charts December 12th, 1960 and peaked at number 22.
It was Presley's 30th charted country song and was on the charts for six weeks.
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MORE BOOKS FROM THE STORE ROOM:
350 page oversize 10&1/2 X 13 inch hardback "COUNTRY MUSIC – PEOPLE – PLACES &
MOMENTS THAT SHAPED THE COUNTRY MUSIC SOUND" – 2006 – Story of self-made stars
– from singing cowboys to tough hillbilly women to the latest redneck sensations
– hundreds of photos – color and black & white - $35.00 and I'll pay shipping.
PayPal – Check or Money Order – reply to djdclassics@gmail.com
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: I have heard that Dolly Parton is writing a book about her song "Coat Of
Many Colors." Is that true?
A: Dolly's book version of "The Coat of Many Colors," will feature
illustrations from Brooke Boynton Hughes and a new downloadable song from Parton
called "Makin' Fun Ain't Funny." The book will be released on October
18th.
Q: Do you know anything about some newly discovered Conway Twitty songs? The
radio guys were talking about it.
A: The lyrics to several unrecorded songs were reportedly found among some of
Twitty's possessions which were auctioned off in 1994.
Q: The radio d.j.'s were talking about Dolly Parton selling photos of her
wedding. What is that all about?
A: Dolly Parton and her husband, Carl Dean, recently celebrated 50 years of
marriage with a vow renewal ceremony in Nashville, and the photos from that
event will be sold to the highest bidder, and the money will benefit
children's charities.
Q: Do you have any information concerning a member of Loretta Lynn's family
passing away?
A: Loretta Lynn's oldest grandson, Jeffrey Allen Lynn, died unexpectedly on
June 6th. He was the oldest son of Loretta Lynn's second child, Jack Benny Lynn,
was 47 years old - lived and worked on his grandmother's ranch in
Hurricane Mills, Tenn., and is survived by three children: Jory, Katie and Cody.
Q: I had heard that Kris Kristofferson was suffering from Alzheimer's and then
I heard that he wasn't. Do you have any info?
A: Kristofferson revealed in 2013 that he was suffering from memory loss for
which he blamed football, boxing and the concussions that came from playing
sports in his early 20s; now, however - according to recent tests - he
has Lyme disease and the medications he has been taking for Alzheimer's and
dementia could have caused his memory loss.
Q: Have you ever heard of a Merle Haggard song about "The Conversion Of Ronnie
Jones?" A friend of mine says he sang that song during a concert back in
the early 1970's. I have never heard it and can't find anything
about it.
A: That song was a track in Haggard's 1972 "It's Not Love - But It's Not Bad"
album
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A T T E N T I O N: R A D I O S T A T I O N S:
Our short form daily radio feature, "Story Behind The Song" is now
available to radio stations at no
charge.
For information, email me at djdclassics@gmail.com
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NUMBER ONES ON THIS DATE
1951
I Want to Be with You Always - Lefty Frizzell
1959
The Battle of New Orleans - Johnny Horton
1967
It's Such a Pretty World Today - Wynn Stewart
1975
When Will I Be Loved - Linda Ronstadt
1983
Our Love is on the Faultline - Crystal Gayle
1991
If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets) - Joe Diffie
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TODAY IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY
Courtesy: Bill Morrison
George McCormick, born rural Carthage, TN 1933.
Billy "Crash" Craddock, born "William Wayne Craddock," Greensboro, NC 1939.
The Rouse Brothers recorded the first version of "The Orange Blossom Special,"
1939.
Hank and Audrey Williams, held the Grand Opening of their "Hank & Audrey's
Corral," western store, at 724 Commerce Street, in downtown Nashville in 1951.
The opening celebration was broadcast by WSM.
Lefty Frizzell topped the charts with "I Want To Be With You Always" 1951.
Buck Owens recorded "Under You Spell Again" at Capitol Records, Hollywood 1959.
The record was released on July 13, 1959, and became the first of Buck's
compositions to become a country standard.
Marty Robbins' movie, "Hell On Wheels," premiered in Nashville, 1967.
Wynn Stewart was #1 on the charts with "It's Such A Pretty World Today" 1967.
Bob Nolan, "Robert Clarence Nobles", age 72, Sons of the Pioneers," died 1980.
Eddy Raven's "I Got Mexico," went to #1 in 1984.
Lee Mace, founder of Lee Mace's Ozark Opry, died 1985.
MCA released Vince Gill's "High Lonesome Sound"
Koch Records released Gail Davies' "Greatest Hits" album 1998.
Jack McFadden, age 71, died 1998. Jack was the talent coordinator for "Hee Haw,"
and managed Buck Owens career for three decades.
Mark Wills and Darryl Worley were invited by President Bush to join him at
MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL, as he thanked the troops at CENTCOM for
their hard work and dedication to duty. Mark and Darryl performed for the troops
and their family's 2004.
Courtesy: <http://www.talentondisplay.com/countrycalendar.html>
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TEN DAYS IN THE COUNTY JAIL.
By: Jack Blanchard
Ten days in the Erie County jail ended my life of crime for good.
I've followed the straight and narrow ever since
because it scared the crap out of me.
I spend half my time keeping my nose clean.
Here's how I wound up in the slammer:
I had joined a National Guard outfit in Buffalo.
I told them I worked weekends as a musician
and that's the only time I wouldn't be at their disposal.
They said that was fine, they understood,
thanks for warning them, and just "Sign here".
We made a deal, right?
About a month later they started wanting me to join them
for weekend romps in the woods.
I reminded them of our arrangement,
but they didn't seem to remember.
The only income I had was my steady weekend gig,
and I had rent to pay on a small bungalow
in front of a slaughterhouse in Tonawanda.
The rent was reasonable due to the aroma.
The National Guard didn't offer to pay my rent,
so I had no choice but to go to work.
They started sending me rude letters.
The nerve!
One early morning a deputy knocked on my door
and wanted me to go with him.
My hangover saved the day.
I must have looked bad because he asked me if I was sick.
A very creative lie just popped right out of me:
"I've got the measles."
He took a step back.
He said when I get better the sheriff wanted me to come in
"just to talk".
That didn't sound too bad.
Maybe I was worrying too much.
I walked into the courthouse about a week later
to get the little talk over with.
They started taking things from my pockets
and putting them in a bag.
They took my watch.
I began to think there was more to this than a good chat.
After three days in jail I was taken to Guard Headquarters
and tried by court-martial.
The judge said I could pay a fine or do ten days.
My commanding officer, a sweet guy, wouldn't accept the fine.
He wanted to make an example of me.
I went back to jail.
They didn't have their own stockade,
so it was back to the county lockup,
with my new friends who screamed all night
and ate their dinner right off the dirty cot mattresses.
I learned a valuable skill: rolling Bull Durham cigarettes
in the cheap paper with no glue.
I learned one other thing:
They could solve a lot of the prison overcrowding
by giving shorter sentences to nonviolent offenders.
I met a guy in there who lost over a year of his life
for writing a check on his recently ex wife's account
to pay the mortgage payment
on the house she was living in.
He wasn't a crook, just a nice, gentle man who got in a jam
and made a mistake.
I say, keep the people who hurt people,
but ease up on the better ones
who are not a danger to anybody.
Ten days did the trick for me.
Jack Blanchard
http://jackandmisty.net
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VIEW FROM THE FRONT PORCH
By: Stan Hitchcock
If you are genuine growed folks....older than dirt and twice as gritty...a child
of the 40's and 50's...then you probably remember when every small town had
those dens of iniquity...cesspools of sin...the Local Pool Hall. When you walked
through the door the heavy haze of cigarette and cigar smoke was a lot like the
heavy fog of a Long Beach, California Harbor...and the slam/crack of the 8 ball
breaking another game was a continuing rhythm...Today they have Family Game
Rooms with maybe a couple of tables of Snooker or Pool...clean and
antiseptic...no smoke...muted polite conversation and women and kids are
welcome. In the old Local Pool Rooms of my youth it was Men Only...cigarette
packs rolled up in t-shirt sleeves and a lit one hanging down from the side of
every mouth with Old Spice aftershave trying to cover up the smell of stale
sweat. Well, I want you to know that them places drew us high school boys like a
magnet draws a six penny nail. I never did figure out why they were considered
dens of iniquity, but nevertheless those pool cues just felt so good in my young
hands. Looking back on it, I think I could have probably grown up to be a Pool
Shark if it hadn't been for Mr. Hood, the Pleasant Hope High Ag Teacher.
We had a Future Farmers of America Dairy Judging Event in the town of Buffalo,
Missouri in 1953. Us boys loved the Ag Field Trips cause it got us out of School
for awhile. We took a School Bus over to Buffalo and as we swept through the
Business District I noticed an interesting sign on one of the buildings.
POOL...BILLIARDS...SNOOKER. About two blocks further down we turned into the
drive of the Buffalo High School and the Dairy Judging Event. My team went on
and did our little judging thing and then four of us slipped out a side door and
headed for town and the Pool Hall. We hit the door of that place ready to get it
on. At this hour of the morning (11 AM)they wasn't but about three other Pool
Bums in attendance, but they were doing their best to smoke enough to put the
usual smoke fog in the room and set the proper atmosphere. Well, Bucky Goss
broke and the games were on. Denny Wright and Donny Morris shot and then I was
bent over with my full focus on the balls and the pool cue (properly chalked
up)and sliding easily in my powdered hands...I was all set to run the table and
humiliate my buddies...when I was conked on the head by this baseball
bat...least ways that is what it felt like. Actually what it turned out to be
was Mr. Hood, The Ag Teacher who had tracked us down like a Blood Hound and who
had walked up behind me and whooped me with his wooden hand. Mr. Hood has lost a
hand years earlier in a Corn Picker accident and the Doctors had placed a solid
wood hand in a leather glove so he could use it as a weapon against runaway Ag
boys on Field Trips. Mr. Hood had a way of whooping that thing up against my
skull as a way of getting my attention and it plumb knocked all thoughts of ever
being a "Pool Shark" out of my teenaged head.
Mr. Hood was always my favorite Teacher and all us boys loved him as a great
Male influence on our lives. So, my thanks to Mr. Hood and his magic wooden hand
that managed to knock some sense in this young boys head. I reckon those old
Pool Halls are mostly all gone today, taken over by hand held games that must be
far more exciting than those smoke filled joints of old. All part of growing up
and surviving in a whole different World where every boy carried a pocket knife
in his Levi pockets...Teachers were allowed to discipline...Prayer and Pledge
Allegiance was still allowed in class...the deer and the buffalo roamed and the
skies were not cloudy all day. stan
Stan Hitchcock
www.hitchcockcountry.com -
http://www.hitchcockcountry.com
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
– Psalm 145:8 (NIV)
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